


Homecoming

by puppyfacedbrokenboys



Series: Tumblr Ficlets [10]
Category: Glee
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Future Fic, Happy Ending, Military
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-25
Updated: 2014-06-25
Packaged: 2018-02-06 03:29:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1842697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/puppyfacedbrokenboys/pseuds/puppyfacedbrokenboys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jake enlists in the Army right after graduation and reconnects with Marley after one of his tours.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Homecoming

After high school, Jake had followed his older brother’s footsteps and joined the Army. He wanted to go to college, and the Army helps pay your way if you serve. So, better late than never right?

Jake enlisted the day after graduation and threw himself head first into Basic. He kept his head down, did what he was told (after getting his ass handed to him by his Staff Sargent, of course), and worked his way up the ranks. He was a natural when it came to physical training after years of dance and basketball, and to his surprise he was a great shot. He graduation Basic with flying colors. He’d learned to be disciplined, and to trust his fellow soldiers to have his back and to have theirs.

It was a great feeling to be good at something, to have a purpose.

Jake shipped out not too long after basic and was gone for a long time, at least 3 years. The war – no matter what he was told by his commanding officers, and no amount of imagination could capture the horror of being in combat first hand. It was rough, and there were nights as he sat back to back with a fellow private, keeping watch as he let the other private sleep, that he really wondered why he had decided to do this. But then the bomb threat would be gone and his platoon would be walking through the city streets and he’d see kids come up to him and he’d smile, feeling a rush of this is why I do this. To save the lives of the innocent that cannot fight. To do something with meaning.

After his first tour, he got the chance to go back home. He was welcomed by his mom with huge hugs and kisses and a “Look at how much you’ve grown. I’m so proud of the man you’ve become, Jake.” He had drilled her for updates on everyone and was shocked to hear that Marley had kept in frequent contact with his mother for updates.

After he had fucked up and cheated and Marley walked away from him, the two had never really patched up their relationship. They had been able to be civil towards each other, but that was about it. She had her own life now, and Jake had his. But that didn’t mean that hearing she had cared about him didn’t bring up a rush of feelings he had tried to bury.

He still had a few years left in the service, after he re-enlisted at the murmurings of another war breaking out if Russia didn’t step down. But he had the sudden urge to go see her, if only once. He had called her mother to get in contact with her and Millie had graciously given him her current phone number. After downing a couple shot of tequila to get the shaking in his hands to stop, he had called her up.

Just the sound of her voice made him smile and the two had picked up seemingly where they had left off. And Jake found himself flying out the LA for a weekend and the two hung out. Unfortunately, nothing happened, but the sparks were still there and Jake told her he’d love it if she wrote him letters when he was deployed again. She had happily agreed and promised to write him one every day, even if Jake wouldn’t be able to write back as frequently and Jake promised that he’d Skype with her as often as he could. Jake left LA with a kiss to her cheek and a few days with his mom before he was deployed for his second tour.

Marley kept her promise, making Jake smile at every letter and grateful for the reprieve from the horrors he faced for a moment. He kept every letter under his cot, and kept his favorites in the pockets of his uniform. The paper dirty and worn, smudged with blood, he reread her words every chance he got. Somewhere in the second year he was gone, Marley told him she loved him. That she always had. Told him that she was so very proud of him and that she was wrong when she told him that he would “always be that guy”. She never really had believed it, just wanted to hurt him even a fraction of how much he hurt her. Jake understood, wrote back that he loved her too, always had, and it it wasn’t for all her letters he probably wouldn’t have lasted as long during this tour.

A year later, full of letters and little to none phone calls or Skype calls, Jake got word that he was getting out. He got to go home! He was ecstatic. But he kept his homecoming a secret. He flew home, legs jiggling on the plane with the other discharged soldiers and made the long journey home.

He was a ball of nervous exhaustion by the time his plane dropped down in Lima. He’d surprise his mom and take care of some business before jumping back on a plane and flying out to LA.

See, Jake still had civilian duty and he’d pulled strings in order to get stationed at the base in Oceanside, CA in order to be closer to Marley. He’d live in the barracks until he was released in a year or so.

But first things first. Surprise Marley.

When his huge duffel bag, Sergeant Jacob Puckerman stepped off the plane in his civilian uniform and made his way in a taxi to the Starbucks that Marley worked at. He stepped through the door, the bell above his head jingling. He quickly scanned the interior of the building, smiling wide as he took in the sight of Marley, back turned towards him as she pumped some syrup into a cup. He took a deep breath and walked up to the counter. Marley looked flustered, and Jake guessed it had been a rough day. She made her way over to the cash register, throwing a “be with you in a moment,” over her shoulder without looking Jake’s way, too busy reloading coffee grounds in the machine.

Jake had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. He dropped his duffel on the floor and took off his cap. Grinning, he whistled low. “Well, well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?” he drawled and it was fullfilling to see Marley freeze and turn around slowly, and her blue eyes lighting up in surprise as the realization of see just who that voice belonged to.

Jake chuckled and his eyes scanned her from head to toe. “Yes, Marls, it’s me. Surprise!”

“Jake?” The combination of her stunned tone and then the blinding grin that broke across her face made Jake’s heart skip a beat. Before he could move, she had literally leaped over the counter and was wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.

“Jake! I’ve missed you so much. Oh my god, you’re home,” Marley babbled happily in his ear and Jake couldn’t help but pick her up and swing her around. Once her feet touched the ground, she pulled back and hit him in the chest, Jake squawking in protest. “Oh my god, you jerk. I didn’t know you were coming home! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I wanted to surprise you. And, do this,” Jake said, brown eyes sparkling as he cupped her face in his hands and pulled her towards him. Their lips met, soft at first, but then Marley moaned softly in the back of her throat and Jake shifted his lips to deepen the kiss. His heart raced, blood rushing in his ears as he felt Marley’s arms wind through way around his neck. Her fingers immediately found their place at the back of his head and Jake groaned against her lips as he pulled her flush against his body to a chours of whoops from the customers behind them.

This, right here, was all worth it. The war, becoming a man, everything. All of it, because of this woman in his arms again. Because this was it, this was what it felt like to be complete and kissing Marley again after so long showed Jake that he had been running from. He hadn’t realized it, but he had went into the Army in an effort to give his life meaning after he had lost it. After he had lost Marley. And now he had her back, he couldn’t let her go.

That was why the second they pulled apart, Jake didn’t so much as breathe before he was saying, “Marry me.”

He hadn’t realized he’d said it until he heard a loud gasp behind him and Marley’s look of surprise. “Say yes,” he heard faintly from somewhere behind him, and Jake began to panic as Marley looked at him in disbelief. “What?” she questioned.

“I-I… I said, ‘marry me’,” he stammered, his heart galloping in a totally different reason now. “I-I don’t have a ring, but… Marls, I love you. I always have. You were on my mind  _every single day_ , and I missed you like crazy. All I wanted was to get back to you and I never, ever want to be stupid enough to let you go ever again. I know what I did—it’s  _unforgivable_ , but that’s not me any more. I-I didn’t need you to fix me, not like I thought. I needed to do it on my own. And I did, and so… will you have me? As your husband? Forever and always. I’m gonna be  _right here_ , with you. If you’ll just say—”

“Yes!” Marley all but shouted, surprising them both and as the customers applauded Marley rushed towards him, jumping into his arms as he easily caught her and kissed his breath away.

Jake was the luckiest man in the world.


End file.
